A Gold Christmas
by thejamesfields
Summary: The Doctor and Clara get into a little trouble on their Christmas vacation
1. Chapter 1

The Doctor smiled as he pulled the TARDIS travel lever, causing the time rotor to begin moving up and down. The motion was accompanied by the familiar cyclic wheezing, groaning noise that always brightened the Doctor's day a little every time he heard it. After a brief delay, a faint thud indicated that the TARDIS had arrived at its destination. The Maitland residence, London, England. Tuesday, December 24, 2013. Christmas Eve. Most of the time, the Doctor picked up Clara on Wednesday. However, he had something special planned for them today.

"Have a nice night!" "Bye, Clara!" "Bye, Clara's boyfriend!" said Mr. Maitland, Angie, and Artie respectively.

"You know, Artie knows to call you 'Doctor'," said Clara as they walked away, "he just doesn't. God knows why."

"Who knows where he got 'Clara's boyfriend' from... 'Doctor' is easier to say anyway." the Doctor said disdainfully.

"Oh, come on. There you go again pretending like you don't like it when we're on the way to your snogbox," said Clara. "Down, boy!"

"For the last time, it is not a snogbox!" said the Doctor, his furrowed eyebrows in sharp contrast with the slight redness that had recently entered his cheeks. "Anyway, let's go. I've got a surprise for you today!" They practically ran to the back alley that the Doctor had parked the TARDIS in to avoid arousing suspicion. Flinging open the doors, the Doctor hopped excitedly to the TARDIS console.

"Where are you taking me this time, Captain?" she said.

As he flicked dials and turned knobs, he replied, "Somewhere wonderful. Somewhere amazing. Somewhere... Christmas-y!" A flick of the lever, and they dematerialised from London. They were on their way.

Clara peeked out of the TARDIS doors like an excited child seeing just what's under the wrapping paper on Christmas day. She wasn't disappointed. Stretching out for miles, as far as she could see, was snow. Hills blended into mountains in the background, and all of it, even the shining city in the distance, was covered in white.

"What do you think?" the Doctor said confidently.

"I think-" said Clara, squinting as the snow-covered landscape reflected the light of the planet's twin suns into her eyes. "I think I need a pair of sunglasses!"

"Well, no doubt we can find some in that city over there. Would you like to go?" he asked.

"Definitely," she said, "before I get a headache."

"Well then. Off we pop!" said the thousand-year old Time Lord, as if he was actually a hyper twelve-year-old.

Emerging from the TARDIS, the pair found themselves in a hustling, bustling marketplace. A few of the faces they saw were clearly from another planet like themselves, but most of the people were clearly humanoid, with a light-bluish, icy tint to their skin and silvery-white hair.

"So where are we, anyway, Doctor?" Clara asked quizzically.

"We're in the wonderful city of Islani, on a planet coincidentally named Barcelona. I've been here once before, with... someone else. It's pretty nice, don't you think?"

"It's great! A little chilly, but-" she stopped and began excitedly running forward, leaving the Doctor confused as to both the end of her sentence and her reason for running. When he caught up to her, he saw her petting a small animal similar to a dog, but without a nose.

"Isn't it so cute?" she asked, petting its back as it made a soft purring sound.

He clearly did not share her appreciation for the animal as he beckoned her to keep moving. She dejectedly followed him as they made their way into a shop tent filled with strange curios that made Clara's eyes go wide.

"Whoa, what's this?" she asked, gesturing towards a high-tech looking bracelet she saw sitting in a prominent place amidst the organized chaos.

"That," he said matter-of-factly, "is a vortex manipulator. Cheap and nasty time travel, but good in a pinch. Would you like me to show you how it works?"

She nodded her head in agreement, and he began to reach over to use it, when the shop's owner stopped them.

"If you want a go at that, you're going to have to buy it," she said.

The Doctor took a quick look at the price tag, and, not wanting to disappoint Clara, handed the lady a wad of the local currency that he had acquired somehow. She gestured toward the vortex manipulator, indicating that it was okay to take it, and the Doctor picked it up and put it on Clara's wrist, and began pressing buttons.

"Oi!" she exclaimed. "Where're you sending me?"

"Two minutes into the future, right outside the TARDIS," he said. "See you there." Before she could say a word, he gave the keypad a final tap and she was flying disorientedly through space and time. When she landed, she was exactly where the Doctor had promised, and he was leaning on the TARDIS door, obviously out-of-breath from his run back to the TARDIS.

"Pretty neat, eh?" he asked.

"I'll say. Like the TARDIS, but it fits on your wrist."

He was clearly very shocked and offended. "It is nothing like the TARDIS!" he said. "It's like falling through space and time instead of cruising, and it's bad for your health. Also, it's unpleasantly like being drunk."

"What's wrong with being drunk?" she asked.

He replied with a quick "Why don't you ask a glass of water?" and pocketed the vortex manipulator before taking off at a jog into the marketplace, obviously having recovered his breath. After having thought about that for a second, she caught up and followed close behind him. "Now," he said between strides, "let's see what we can do about those sunglasses."


	2. Chapter 2

Walking out of an interesting store with a fresh new pair of sunglasses, Clara turned to the Doctor and asked, "So, of all places, why did we come here?"

"Because Barcelona's snowy and Christmas-y, and it has bioluminescent trees."

"Bioluminescent? You mean they glow like Christmas trees?"

"Exactly. Also, they're right in the middle of their own winter celebration."

"Really? What is it?" she asked.

"The Festival of Winter. Once a year, every person in Islani takes a sapling into their home and plants it. In exactly one year, the day of the next Festival, the tree's growth finishes and it begins to glow."

"Sounds fun. Is that why we're here? To appreciate the pretty sights? Not to run about saving the world or anything?" Clara asked.

"Yep," he replied. "It's my Christmas gift to you."

"Well, thanks." she said. "You know, this is the first time we've ever been out peacefully. You know, without the threat of death. Not that we're _out_ out, but... you know, just... out..."

He ended her rambling with a knowing "I understand." It was Clara's turn to blush as he gave her a slight grin. She threw him a look that said "Shut up" as she turned to the right and walked down a street, with the Doctor following close behind.

As they walked away, they failed to notice that they had a follower. An Islani male stood from the nearby bench he was sitting on, smiled to himself, and followed the Doctor and Clara down the street.

Walking down the snow-covered boulevard, the pair heard someone say something they never expected to hear.

"Doctor!" the man cried. "We've got to stop meeting like this!" he said, his voice taking on a deep, ominous tone.

The two of them quickly turned around. "Sorry," the Doctor said. "I haven't ever met you before. Perhaps you're from my future?"

"So what you're saying is... you've no idea who I am?"

"Exactly."

"Come with me, then."

"Who are you, though?" the Doctor asked.

"A friend," the man said. "You can call me John." Turning and walking away, John walked into the local equivalent of a pub, with the Doctor and Clara following close behind.

John gestured to an empty table near the corner of the small building. The three sat down and the mysterious stranger started talking. "I- We all need your help. I'm getting worried," he said. "People are disappearing. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but nobody will believe me and I feel something terrible is about to happen."

"Do you know where they go?" the Doctor asked.

"Not for sure," John replied.

"Well, Clara," the Doctor said, "I think this just became more than a vacation visit."


	3. Chapter 3

The three of them decided to investigate the mysterious disappearances, and John knew the first place they should go. "My brother and I," John said, "have been tracking the disappearances. You know, who disappears, where, what they were wearing, who saw them last, and we've been trying to fit the puzzle together. Find out if there's a connection between any of the victims and what it is."

"So," Clara said, "standard nutters, then?"

"Exactly," John replied.

As they walked to John and his brother's house, the Doctor had a sense of foreboding. Nothing powerful or hugely ominous, just a little nagging feeling in the back of his head that something wasn't quite right. His suspicions were confirmed when they arrived at the house. The door was open inward, obviously due to a great impact. It was completely off the top hinge and just barely hanging on by the lower one. It was a reflection of the state of the rest of the house. As the trio entered the home, it was obvious that every single item in the home, from huge stacks of papers to an assortment of strange looking gadgets and pieces of equipment, used to be meticulously organized. However, now, most of the paper was strewn about the floor, and much of the equipment had endured blows from someone who clearly wanted the work destroyed. Clara let out a gasp at the first sight of the destruction. John just stared for a while, taking in the detritus that he had worked so hard on. For a while, nobody spoke.

"I don't know what to say," said the Doctor.

"It's- it's fine," said John. "I knew this would happen eventually."

"Let's just find whoever did this and put an end to all this," Clara said.

"I agree," John said. "There's just one problem. The key to finding them was supposed to be here, but it's missing."

"Yeah?" Clara said. "What is it?"

"It's my brother," John said. "He's been taken."

As they walked down the street, away from the ruins of John's house, it was clear that John was in great distress, but trying to hide it with overconfidence. He was failing. "What are we going to do, Doctor?" he said. "We have no leads to go on, and we don't even know where to start looking!" Just as he said this, they heard screams and sounds of conflict coming from not far from where they were.

"What's that?" Clara asked. The corner of the Doctor's lip turned up in a smile.

"That would be our lead!" he said before taking off at a run towards the source of the ruckus, with Clara and John right behind him.

They arrived on the scene just in time. A figure was running away from the ransacked house. The trio gave chase to the figure, who turned a corner once it reached the end of the street. They followed suit, continuing to pursue the figure, even after it had run out of the city gates. And still the figure continued to run, across the snowy field and toward the base of a nearby mountain. It was plain to see where he was going: a cave that made its way inside the mountain. They reached the mouth of the cave, and something odd happened. The running figure faded out of existence, leaving the Doctor, Clara, and John alone in the cave, which was filled with various screens, instruments, and gadgets. While the Doctor and Clara were still a bit disoriented from the chase, John performed yet another unexpected action: he pressed a button on a nearby control panel, causing a door to slide down over the cave entrance.

They were all locked inside.


	4. Chapter 4

"What was that for?" the Doctor asked. "Open it again, it's dark and stuffy." The Doctor's protestations were quickly stopped by another flick of a switch on John's part. Two rays of light came down from the cave ceiling. The Doctor started to say "Oh, well at least you found the li-", but stopped when he realized he was trapped. The light had formed some sort of prison around him. He realized that Clara was trapped as well.

"Let me out!" she cried. "What's this all about?"

"Don't try to struggle," John said calmly. "You won't be able to escape."

"Why are you doing this?" the Doctor asked. "We need to find your brother!"

"I don't have a brother," John said. "I'm not even from this planet."

"Yes you are," said the Doctor. "You look exactly like its inhabitants, with their bluish skin and silvery hair."

"But I don't have to," he said, as his appearance morphed quickly into that of a black-haired human. "I can look like whatever I want to look like." His nose and face began to elongate until he appeared to all outside eyes to be a nameless Judoon soldier, before shifting into the face of Clara. "I can impersonate whoever I want to." He eventually settled on the appearance of a brown-haired young human.

"So there was never any real problem?" the Doctor asked.

"Of course not. I simply needed to get you here."

"Why do we need to be here?" asked Clara, her voice getting shaky.

"Remember? There's at least one thing I told you that wasn't a lie," he said. "I'm somebody from your future, Doctor. I'm surprised you didn't ask about it. I know how you hate your spoilers, though, so I can't blame you. But the thing is, I don't want to be from your future. If I kill you now, time can be rewritten. I'm simply here to take out my revenge on you for everything you've done to me, and make sure that none of it ever happens. But first, I'm going to hurt you."

"Do whatever you want to me," the Doctor said. "But if you touch Clara, you'll find out why I don't carry a gun."

"But can't you see?", he said. "That's how I'm going to hurt you. First Clara goes, then you go. It's like Christmas!"

"As a matter of fact," Clara said. "For me, it is Christmas, and I'm not having it ruined by some alien face-changing weirdo just so he can take his revenge on my alien weirdo."

"I don't think you have a choice," he said as he pulled a knife out of the recesses of his inner jacket pocket.

Time seemed to go in slow motion as he lunged forward. A scream left Clara's lips as she stood, unable to run away or defend herself. His arm moved forward at a terrific speed, carrying the blade on its deadly path to her stomach.

Then, all hell broke loose.

All Clara could see was a flash of brilliant light as she felt an impact to her torso. However, it was not the steel of the blade she felt, but rather a blow that pushed her backwards. She landed hard on the ground with a minor blow to her head. She could barely bring her head up, but when she finally could see, she saw the mysterious man with a look of disgust on his face, angry that his attack had not reached its intended recipient. Instead, his blade was lodged tightly in the Doctor's stomach. The Doctor's expression of pain and the just-used vortex manipulator on his wrist were the last things she saw as the TARDIS materialised around her, her vision blackening into unconsciousness.

The Doctor winced in pain as the blade left his body. He could barely even feel anything. The pain simply hurt too much to hurt. His body crumpled down on the ground, limp and nearly lifeless. In his spinning and blurry field of vision, he could just barely see the TARDIS dematerialise, taking Clara to safety. His vision soon became obstructed by the tip of the mysterious man's boot, which he had chosen to use to press the side of the Doctor's face into the ground. "I'd say we'll meet again," the man said, "but that's no longer true, seeing as your story's about to end. First you're going to start regenerating, then I'll kill you for good."

"I don't think so," the Doctor said, pressing the keyboard on his vortex manipulator, and suddenly, the man's boot was on the ground, because there was no more Doctor separating the two. He was gone.

When Clara awoke, she was laying facedown on the floor of the TARDIS console room. "Doctor?" she called out, "Doctor, where are you?" Her head was spinning, but she somehow managed to sit herself up. When she regained full consciousness, she took a look around. It was the same console room she had learned to- well, not love. More like relectantly get along with. It was the same TARDIS she knew, but it was missing one thing: the Doctor. She was just beginning to stand herself up when a knock came at the TARDIS door. The little _rat-ta-tat-tat_ echoed through the console room and caused Clara to jump a little. She ran to the entrance and threw open the doors. What she saw caused her to jump a little. She could see the front door of the Maitland house behind a disheveled and raggedy-looking Doctor. He practically fell into the TARDIS as blood poured out of the wound in his chest. "Doctor!" Clara exclaimed, "How can I help?"

"You can't," he managed to choke out, "Now listen, there isn't much time."

"The make time, 'cause you're not going like this!"

"We both know that's impossible," he said, just barely grinning, "even for an impossible girl."

Clasping her arms around him, she sobbed "But what am I going to do without you?"

"The same thing we did, but with him," he said. "I want you to run. Run, you clever girl. And remember me." He pushed her away as his face and hands began to glow, but she just came right back. The energy even made its way out of his wound. As he stood, hunched over, with light pouring out of him, he thought of everything he had done, everywhere he had gone, and everyone he had shared it with. He thought of Amelia Pond, the girl who believed in him. The girl he could always count on. The girl who waited, who waited for him. He thought of Rory Williams, the man who had died so many times, yet would give his life up for another in a heartbeat. The man who cared more about the woman he loved than the whole of the universe. And he thought of Clara Oswald, the girl standing in front of him. The girl who had lived a thousand lives saving his. Even though his story was ending, hers had just begun. As the light poured stronger still out of his body, the sound of the clock striking twelve echoed throughout London. "Merry Christmas, Clara," he said softly. The tracks of their tears could be seen on both of their faces, and the Doctor leaned down and kissed Clara's forehead. With pain wracking his body and sorrow in his voice, he was able to let out one, feeble, quiet, amazing word:

"Geronimo."

And then, in a bright flash of light, the regeneration energy burst out, enveloping him. It looked like he was burning up. When the process was complete, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Clara set eyes on a new man.


End file.
